Truth in Advertising Is a Toronto Value

Statement by Dr. Bahira Abdulsalam, P.Eng., Candidate for Mayor of Toronto

On October 21, six Canadians, primarily from Palestinian and Jewish communities, represented by the Global Echo Litigation Center and Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights, filed a complaint with the Competition Bureau. It alleges that real estate events in the Toronto area and Montreal marketed homes in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, to Canadian buyers as being “in Israel.”

The question this raises is simple, and Torontonians deserve a clear answer: should anyone be allowed to sell property in the Toronto area while misrepresenting where that property actually is?

Canadian policy is already clear. Canada does not recognize the settlements as Israeli territory, and on August 21 the federal government strongly advised Canadian businesses against engaging in economic and financial activities associated with Israeli settlements. A home in a settlement should not be sold to Canadians as being “in Israel.”

This is not about any people or any faith. It is about honesty to consumers and respect for the law Canada has committed to. That is why the complainants include Jewish and Palestinian Canadians standing together.

As Mayor, I will:

• Support a full inquiry. I will write to the Commissioner of Competition urging a thorough and timely investigation.
• Set clear rules for City-owned venues. I will ask City staff to review leasing terms so that any exhibitor on City property must accurately disclose the legal location of what it sells, in line with Canadian law and federal policy.
• Align City dealings with federal policy. I will ask staff to confirm that City procurement and investments are consistent with Canada’s advisory on settlement-linked activity.
• Call on the Province to examine whether Ontario’s consumer protection rules adequately cover events like these.

Toronto should be a city where every buyer gets the truth, and where our public spaces can never be used to mislead.

Dr. Bahira Abdulsalam, P.Eng.
Candidate for Mayor of Toronto

Sources: Legal Complaint Filed Against Real Estate Firms for Marketing Illegal Israeli Settlement Properties in Palestine as “Dream Homes in Israel”; Advisory to Canadian businesses